Finding a Community Garden Plot

Posted by Amy Urquhart Apr 1, 2008

Now that I’m a community gardener, I somehow see community gardens in places I never noticed before. It’d odd, as though there were complete gaps in my visual consciousness before. It makes me wonder what other things I’m not seeing!

A couple of summers ago, my husband and I were out on a bike ride in our neighbourhood and I was pleasantly shocked to find that there was a community garden within a five minute bike ride from our house. We had lived in our home for a couple of years before coming across the garden, and I wondered how this was possible? Fortunately one of the garden’s organizers was there, tending her plot, and we were able to secure ourselves a plot for the following season.

Obviously, finding a community plot isn’t so easy for some would-be gardeners. Indeed, in some cities there are extensive waiting lists for community garden plots. I’d like to present a few tips for finding a community garden in your area.

1. Search the web. For example, the City of Toronto features the Toronto Community Garden Network, and the city’s official website also devotes a section to community gardening. A simple Google search string containing the city or town and the phrase “community garden” should yield some results.
2. Head out! Explore your neighbourhood on foot or by bicycle. Like my husband and I, you might just stumble across a community garden project nearby.
3. Start a community garden in your neighbourhood. If there just isn’t a community garden in your area, consider banding together with some fellow citizens to start a new garden. A list of frequently asked questions for starting a community garden is also found on the City of Toronto website.

Use your imagination...a community garden plot might be in your future!